Just downloaded this amazing mix from one DOMU and thought i should share it with anybody else who might enjoy.

Consider this an early Christmas present from your good friends at TrebleO and OOFT!

The mighty Domu provided the OOFT! chaps with a night to remember earlier in the year … not with his bedroom skills, but with this blinder of a DJ set which displays his ability to effortlessly sew together the funk-fabric for as long as several pints of Guinness will take him. (TrebleO Comments).

Double vinyl featuring some of the sickest cuts from the legendary DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist mix! Including the huge tunes ‘Funky DJ’, ‘Tears’ by Giorgio (the sample to Orgon Donor by DJ Shadow), Pleasure Web’s ‘Music Man’ (the sample for Jurassic 5’s ‘Jayou’ as well as Lou Courtney’s classic ‘Hey Joyce’.

Limited reissue of French, modern spiritual jazz tracks on Kindred Spirits.... holy grail for some, a great new discovery for most of us!! Really cool and playful music - full of 50's angst!!! Full length CD to follow...

Amazing work from Parisian jazz piano genius Jef Gilson -- a pioneering couple of early 60s tracks featuring Lloyd Miller on the balaphone and a purportedly self-made microorgan -- plus 2 rare cuts from his Afro jazz influenced Madascar sessions with tenor Hal Singer from the end of the 60s! The A-side features "Le Grande Bidou" and "Fable Of Gutenberg" from a 1962 10-inch release -- a septet including Gilson's piano, both upright and electric bass, tenor and soprano sax, and drums. Both tracks are sweet slices of Gilson's unique approach to early 60s modal jazz -- and Miller's heavy, idiosyncratic accompaniment absolutely earn his spot above the track titles! "Chant Inca" and "Mother Africa" on the flip are pretty awesome, too -- the former with a dual bass approach that's heavier than the similar instrumental pairing on the other side -- with African percussion underneath vibes, Singer's measured tenor sax and Gilson's more intensified piano passages. 2 sides, 2 fairly divergent styles, both incredible! (DUSTYGROOVE Comments)

Thanks to MUTANT SOUNDS BLOG......

Jef Gilson is a French jazz pianist whose career started in the sixties and was one of the first bandleaders to utilized the talents of a very young violinist named Jean Luc Ponty.

This 10 Inch is killing me at the moment...awesome Straight-up Jazz and its fueling my early interest into the more spirtiual side of jazz......

Monday, 3 December 2007

Little Dragon. Featuring radiant vocalist Yukimi Nagano and her close high school friends Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrick Källgren (bass) and Håkan Wirenstrand (keyboards), Little Dragon stepped into the spotlight with the release of their first double A-side single on Peacefrog (home to José and Findlay Brown), ‘Twice’/’Test’. A former Rough Trade ‘Single of the Week’ and “universally hailed as a masterpiece of free thinking soul”, according to One Week To Live.Born and raised in Gothenburg to a Japanese father and American mother, Yukimi says, “I grew up listening to American folk because of my Mom, but I’ve always had an affinity for R’n’B.” Meanwhile, keyboardist Håkan spent his childhood in the deepest, darkest woods of Smaland before moving to Gothenburg, hearing a lot of Swedish folk music, later getting into electronic and synth music. Erik grew up hearing early hiphop and jazz. “From time to time we have had to get side jobs,” Yukimi sighs, “but we’d rather stay broke, so we can concentrate on the band.” Their true vocation can be in no doubt based on this divine debut offering.Yukimi has sung with Sweden’s electronica-jazz outfit Koop, and both Yukimi and Erik play live with José González. Erik also drums with Peps Perrson, a legendary Swedish blues/reggae artist. “We had an admiration for each other musically, and way before we defined ourselves as a band we were making music and hanging out,” Yukimi explains. “It’s like a family, and the band is our big passion. Little Dragon reminds you that when you're really creating music, it's like building a ship that will travel in a direction previously inconceivable”. However, what unites these disparate influences is an undeniable swing and lightness of touch, braced with bass heaviness, borne from the intuitive connection between the band members that epitomises Little Dragon’s music. Unwilling to stick to definitions or reasons for why Little Dragon is what it is, Yukimi offers effusive and illustrative impressions, which is as good a way as any to understand this very special band. “Maybe Little Dragon is a city,” she muses. “Blue traffic-lights, fast food-signs, neon, love, loneliness, technology – a city reflected in the middle of a vast ocean. The music juxtaposes tradition and intense knowledge of musical tools, with destruction, invention... blazing a new trail. I like to think of our music as dreamy, but not always in a pleasant way. Some songs are emotional and some more free and naive.”Yukimi’s emergence as a significant voice is confirmed by ‘Twice’ – the opening gambit for the debut and breathtaking in its simplicity, a minor-key piano ballad with understated yet richly effective strings blooming amid deft cosmic swirls. Yukimi delivers a poised but dramatically beautiful tale of regret. “The simple piano was so moody,” she says “I guess it fits perfectly with my confused state at that time.”‘Test’ feels like zephyr on a summer’s day. Locked down by wondrous echo chamber effects this gem bubbles along with a solid b-line and leftfield twists and charms that make it seem flawlessly new. “I wrote lyrics and melodies with only drums before we added any other instruments,” Yukimi notes. “I found the drums very inspiring, and I like using a different process to write.” That same airiness is evident throughout the album, from highlight and future single ‘Constant Surprises’, which is mostly built from hi-hats and bubbling bass and reminds us of unique and fresh sounding soul that seems to have all but disappeared of late, while Yukimi’s delicious vocal skips and glides atop, and on ‘Recommendation’ the sunshiny syncopation matches the bounce of Yukimi’s singing. ‘Forever’ brings in more of the keyboard atmospherics and moody bass that Mad Professor would be proud to call his own, the perfect foil for a more reflective and emotional lyrical leaning. ‘After The Rain’ is all short clipped struts, and lets Yukimi run wild, moving into the quietly psychedelic, keyboard-driven yearning and wonder of ‘Place To Belong’, while ‘Wink’ suggests a lurking undercurrent of cavernous nightclub funk and flirtation. “When she winks at you / you feel your legs shake / you blow a kiss back / and time stops”. A far less smutty euro Millie Jackson, if you will.The album is marvellously book ended by the drifting percussion and electronic dynamics of ‘Scribbled Paper’, showcasing another wonderful vocal performance – “I went looking for a trace of something that you left”. Little Dragon take tired musical traces and styles, give them a shot in the arm to leave us with something fresh and positive. It is a debut full of subtle touches, capturing fleeting emotional moments, twinned with gnawingly memorable pop flourishes and hooks. (taken from their Bio)

The 1st 7 Inch release taken from the selt titled album 'Little Dragon' is a must have for fans of smokey vocals and jazzy beats. Coming from the label Peacefrog Records, home of Jose Gonzalez and The Beauty Room, ......its another blinding release from a right on point label.

Dwight Trible, Nate Morgan, Phil Ranelin, Big Black, Derf Reklaw and many many more led by Carlos Nino of LA. Build An Ark are back with 10 new piece on a brand new album.

Carlos Nino (better known as Ammoncontact) has confounded expectations with his Build an Ark project, and this latest album 'Dawn' is his most ambitious to date, including guest spots from living legend Big Black and featuring jazz luminaries Dwight Trible on vocals, Nate Morgan on piano, Adam Rudolph on kalimba, and Derf Reklaw on congas. The band cover tracks from Pharoah Sanders and Big Black himself, also managing to put their mark on some of Nino's own compositions, but the mood here is strikingly spiritual coaxing comparison to some of the Impulse jazz releases of the 70s. The record has been 'dedicated' to John and Alice Coltrane so this should give you a basic idea of the sound, but rather than going for a straight take on their sound the band blend in African, Latin and West Coast American influences to come up with a light, shimmering sound of their own. (Boomkat Records Review)

In 2005 and again in 2006, Stones Throw's Peanut Butter Wolf posted holiday mixes here on www.stonesthrow.com. This year, we're taking things a step further with our first officially licensed holiday album, combining obscure vinyl archaeology - the weird, the strange, the funky - with old fashion Happy Holidays style for Chrismtmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and whatever else you may celebrate.

From the funky rap free-for-all that is "Cold Chillin' Christmas" to the snow-free Miami booty bass of "What You Want For Christmas" by the 69 Boyz & Quad City DJs, Wolf has got your vintage hip-hop bases covered.

For the funk lovers, there's the slept-on classic "Go Power At Christmas Time" by James Brown and a little-known Soul Saints Orchestra tune from the Poets of Rhythm archives called "Santa's Got a Bag of Soul." From there, the comp ranges stylistically from reggae to avant-garde robot singing. And if that's not hot enough to roast your chestnuts, then check out the exclusive contributions by Stones Throw artists James Pants, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Baron Zen.

Jazzman records continues its quest to uncover the best and rarest Funk ever recorded, and after the success of last year’s ‘Florida Funk’, we’ve moved up the Atlantic coast to look at the vibrant and original scene in the two rural states of North and South Carolina – collectively known as the Carolinas. Bordering the Bible belt, the Carolinas share the backward reputation of neighbouring Tenessee – and without any large urban centres, much of the musical output of the Carolinas has been limited to single towns, with bands and their records seldom venturing further than the state line. Funk 45 label boss Jazzman Gerald and resident North Carolina collector Jason Perlmutter have selected 22 of the rarest and most coveted examples of heavy funk from the Atlantic Coast to show the world there is more to the Carolinas than tobacco plantations and venus fly traps! From inspired percussive instrumentals to heartfelt slabs of soul; from rediscoverd tapes in the garages of retired musicians to funk 45s so raw that they were blessed by James Brown himself – this is Carolina Funk!

Another great compilation from the ultimate re-issuer......Jazzman Gerald. Along with Midwest Funk, Texas Funk and Sister Funk 2, these albums really hit the FUNK spot and in doing so can turn you on to some of the most original and rare slices of old skool funk...........all releases are highly recommended from this label.

Sabroso! Jazzman dives into the catalogue of world-renowned Latin labels Fania and Tico to uncover some unrivalled slices of Hot Latin Jazz to get you shaking from your hips to your feet! From the rare to the classic, this triple 7” box set covers the vibrant sounds of the Palladium ballroom – sweaty Mambos, rolling Descargas and jazzy excursions from NY’s finest! Mauricio Smith’s anthemic ‘Doug’s Room’ has been an instantly recognisable dancefloor classic since the early ‘90s, while Joe Bataan’s little known 45-only version of ‘Jumping with Symphony Sid’ is reissued here for the first time on vinyl! Packed with informative liner notes and cover scans, this box set is the very thing to sort out your Tropical dance party!

Dance The Latin Soul is Jazzman's second foray into the deep catalogue of world-renowned Latin labels Fania and Tico focuses on the super sounds of swingin’ Latin Soul! From the rare to the classic, from the obscure to the in-demand.

This triple 7” box set covers the soulful boogaloo sound of Spanish Harlem with each 45 bursting at the seams with that irresistable soulful Latin beat! The set contains some of the most crucial classics ever to be spun in Latin clubs – all in one handy package! Never-fail dancefloor stormers like La Lupe’s ‘Fever’ and Ray Barretto’s ‘Soul Drummers’ alongside rarities from Harvey Averne and Bobby Valentin – packed with informative liner notes and cover scans, this box set will put the heat back into any tropical party!

Saturday, 1 December 2007

Out this month the latest offering from the Nostalgia 77 Octet. Based on a long running joke about the power of jazz to fight the infidel this record is a dark journey through rhythms and melodies from around the world.

Very limited 40 min. LP recorded by the Nostalgia 77 Octet during a recent session including "The Impossible Equation" – an improvised free jazz piece.

Beginning quietly with the sound of a single shaker, 'The Impossible Equation' gradually builds into a swirling groove of cacophonous drums and horns. The arrival of the double bass signals a change in time, daring others to follow suit. As the trombone soars high over the mid-section, passing the baton to the piano, a trance-like state descends over the piece, setting the mood for a beautiful, bittersweet finale.

On the B-Side, the Octet perform a cover version of a modal jazz piece originally recorded by Horace Tapscott's Pan-African People's Arkestra.

From the unlikely beach town of Oxnard, 40 miles north of Los Angeles, the multi-dimensional Madlib quickly rose to prominence as one of the most interesting figures in late-'90s hip-hop. With his childhood buddies in the Lootpack, Madlib quickly made a name for himself as a rapper, producer, and DJ. In particular, his expansive style and deft touch for composition made him one of hip-hop's most sought-after producers. An enthusiastic crate digger, with a deep reverence for jazz and soul, Madlib branched out into a number of ambitious, engaging solo projects.Along with DJ Romes and Wild Child, Madlib formed the Lootpack in their hometown of Oxnard. The trio made their debut on tha Alkaholiks' 21 and Over in 1993. They continued doing work for tha Alkaholiks and other artists before releasing their full-length Soundpieces: Da Antidote six years later. The album earned solid reviews but went largely unnoticed. Madlib did not, however. After hooking up with Los Angeles DJ Peanut Butter Wolf, Madlib did a lot of production for Wolf's Stones Throw label. In 1999 the label released Quasimoto's astonishing The Unseen LP. Doubling as himself and his alter ego Quasimoto, Madlib handled vocals and production duties on the album, a huge critical success.Not resting on his laurels, Madlib followed The Unseen a year later with his Yesterday's New Quintet project. Madlib played all the instruments himself, infusing his exploration of jazz with both style and substance.While continuing on with a massive release schedule and work load, Madlib completed a remix/reinterpretation project for Blue Note, a collaboration with Jay Dee under the Jaylib alias, a collaboration with MF Doom, produced 1/2 of fellow Lootpack member Wildchild's solo record and many other remix and producer tasks all in 2003.With each year Madlib has continued to expand his abilities beyond the core hip hop that he is known for. (Stones Throw Website)........check website here: http://www.stonesthrow.com/FREE MP3 - http://www.stonesthrow.com/jukebox/beatkonducta_masala.mp3

From Beat Konducta Vol. 3 (LP) released in July andBeat Konducta Vol. 3-4 (CD) released in August.

Absoultely love this producers beats.....always with a touch of Jazz sprinkled all over them and often eminating from the leftfield in more ways that one can imagine.

My Must have....The Unseen came out in 2000 and caught praise by fans and critics alike. SPIN went off on Quasimoto’s “recipe for resin-caked jazz and crusty comedy samples as a new flavor for the bland world of mainstream rap” and stuck him smack between Madonna and Outkast in their best of the year list. URB too named the album one of the best of the year. In the tradition of artistic “role playing” in black music, Quas was compared favorably to RZA, Kool Keith, and even Prince (City Pages, St. Paul/Minneapolis). Another dude wrote that rap music “hasn’t been this far out since 3 Feet High and Rising” (Sleazenation). And a few commented on the voice. What a voice. Was it a tree-blazin’ ghetto chipmunk? A cartoon Martian? Naw, it’s neither - but close.

Lord Quas personally demands a high level of privacy, so Madlib and the heads at Stones Throw have been dodging questions about Lord Quas for years. Who is he? Why won’t he perform live?.....(stones throw).....that is something i would love to see !!!!!!

The Lefties SoundSound and music wise the band is influenced by funk acts like the Meters and the JB's, but also by hip-hop acts like for example Jurassic 5, the Roots and Beastie Boys. In general they have their backbone in the raw (obscure) funk & soul from the 60s till early 70s but a lot of tracks are based on hip-hop feel/sound/structure (open drum breaks, ready to sample riffs). They also have some '(mod) rock' influence in their sound, this can be especially seen and heard at live concerts and you can hear it in the aggressiveness of their sound. Their goal is to rock the crowd hard with heavy beats, low bumping bass, screaming Hammond organ and tight guitar riffs, sometimes accompanied by vocals or chants. The band is not strictly a retro band, they're not trying to copy an old soul/funk band; an important difference with some other (raw) funk & soul bands of today. It's not their intention to play funk exactly the same like the JB’s or the Meters used to do. These bands will always be the best because it's the sound they've created. Lefties Soul Connection just picked up some of their grooves and philosophy and mixed it with hip-hop breakbeat / song structure and (mod) rock aggressive sound/performance style. What you get is an explosive performance with tight grooves and the heaviest live beats you ever heard (we like to call it the "shock 'n' awe" style or garage funk).Slowly they've been building a fan base within the international (raw) funk & soul (bboy) community with their sound and especially at performances but, because they're not strictly retro, they also broke out of this scene and got noticed by people that are more into hip-hop and even rock and dance. A good example of a track getting noticed outside the funk community is their interpretation of Organ Donor, a dj Shadow track (sound clip: http://www.leftiessoulconnection.com/organdonorreviews.htm). A large part of their recordings is instrumental. Basically they've set up the band similar to the Meters and Booker T & the MG's. Like these bands, their music is centred around groove/sound and not so much lyrics/a singer. At live shows though, more vocal tracks are added. These tracks are sung by guitar player Onno Smit; before starting the band together with Alviz also a soul singer. Some recent international quotes about Lefties Soul Connection: "Lefties Soul Connection receives the stamp of approval from me and also, I think they should receive the stamp of approval from the world. They're a group from Amsterdam that I think will be able to meet the world with a strong musical force.Get ready to listen and meet Lefties Soul Connection!"- Leo Nocentelli (guitarist of The Meters, New Orleans)“Lefties Soul Connection has developed rapidly into the best and coolest funk bands, and even one of the best rock bands of the Netherlands. 5 stars” – Volkskrant (Dutch national newspaper; translated) “As a quartet, Lefties Soul Connection works very well. Unlike other world-class raw funk bands like Breakestra and Melbourne’s The Bamboo’s, they do without a horn section, and as such avoid the cluttered sound that Breakestra in particular occasionally have. If you like your funk raw and energetic, get this album. Ow! – InTheMix.com (Australia)“Lefties Soul Connection has more bounce to the ounce, more funk in the trunk, and more groove to make you move than legally allowed.” – First Coast News (USA)“It's an exciting, organic sound that loudly declares: Funk's not dead.” – Japan Times“And that’s basically what Skimming the Skum is all about, new school arrangements with an old school feel. New Funk groups often risk being labeled ‘throwback’ but as long as bands like Lefties Soul Connection are in the game, we’ll all be funkin’ for the future.” GroundLift Magazine (USA)

For me.......its all about 'Hawkeye's unreleased edit of Lefties Soul Connections's cover of DJ SHADOW's Organ Donor which was available on the More MPM Sampler which was released back in 2006. An absolute blinder that pushes the FUNK out of the original DJ Shadow version., and the two additional tunes are bad either.

Quotes.....

"The new edit of Organ Donor is supa hot and the Kutiman track will work nice in the clubs as well". - Mad Mats (Raw Fusion).

"At last the funkiest track of the year ("Organ Donor") gets a 12" release and these guys really turns things right" - Beatfanatic.

"The Lefties Soul Connection cover of Organ Donor receives a timely re edit on this limited 12inch sampler. Also included we have an ace afro funk joint straight from Tel Aviv and Hawkeye puts in a remix of the shop favorite DJ Day track. As always the Melting Pot label drops essential tracks." - Fat City (Manchester)

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